The Daily Valet. - 12/4/23, Monday
✔️ Who Made the Cut?
Monday, December 4th Edition
By Cory Ohlendorf, Valet. Editor
I’ll be honest, this weekend wasn’t enough. I need multiple naps … like a penguin, I’ve learned.
Today’s Big Story
The Kennedy Center Honors
The newest group of honorees WAS feted Last night in Washington, D.C.
It's always interesting to see who makes the cut. As the year wraps up, the Kennedy Center honors a select group of people every year “for their artistic influences on American culture.” They have been presented annually since 1978 (when Fred Astaire was among the first class of honorees), culminating each December in a gala celebrating five honorees in the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C.This year's honorees are Billy Crystal, opera singer Renée Fleming, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, Queen Latifah, and legendary hitmaker Dionne Warwick. Strangely, this is one award show that doesn't air live, but an edited version lasting approximately two hours will be broadcast on CBS (hosted this year by Gloria Estefan) after Christmas on Wednesday, Dec. 27th.President Biden welcomed the 2023 class of honorees at the White House on Sunday. At the reception, Biden spoke on the importance of the performing arts. “Performing arts is more than just sound,” he said. “They reflect who we are as Americans. And as human beings. That's especially true for more than 200 Kennedy Center Honorees over the past 46 years that helps shape how we see ourselves, how we see each other, and how we see our world—honors not just based on the length of the career, the scope of the work of heightened fame, but because of their unique place in the conscience, and the very soul of our dynamic and diverse nation.”In announcing the recipients earlier this year, the Kennedy Center's president, Deborah F. Rutter, called this year's group of inductees “an extraordinary mix of individuals who have redefined their art forms.” Crystal, in his own statement, said he was “overwhelmed” to be chosen—a sentiment shared by Latifah, who said her selection mattered to more than just her. “To now be recognized amongst so many multi-hyphenates feels unbelievable, not for just me and my team, but for our community,” she said.Oh, and those wide rainbow-colored ribbons hung around the necks of the recipients and prominently noticeable when the events are televised? They symbolize “a spectrum of many skills within the performing arts,” according to creator Ivan Chermayeff.
FYI:
Last year's class included George Clooney, Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, Tania León and U2.
Israel Expands Offensive
Israeli forces push into south Gaza; residents there were told to leave their homes, spreading fear and confusion
Israel's top domestic security official Ronen Bar said Israel is determined to eliminate Hamas all around the world even if it takes years, according to a recording aired by Israel's public broadcaster Kan on Sunday. Bar is the director of the Israeli Security Agency, also known as Shin Bet, which is Israel's domestic security agency, tasked with combating terrorism.Meanwhile, amid a barrage of airstrikes, Israel sharply expanded its evacuation orders in the Gaza Strip on Sunday in preparation for an expected ground invasion in the southern part of the territory. The new orders, coming three days after the collapse of a weeklong truce, sowed confusion and fear among Gaza residents, some of whom have already been displaced at least once before, reports the New York Times.Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday and discussed the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, emphasizing the need for de-escalation and a ceasefire. The prime minister reaffirmed Qatar's commitment, alongside its mediation partners, to ongoing efforts aimed at restoring calm to the region.
Meanwhile:
The Palestinian American student shot in Vermont was confirmed to be paralyzed from the chest down.
New Roads Charge Electric Cars in Motion
New technology installed beneath Detroit street can charge electric vehicles as they drive
Well, this is very cool: The first stretch of inductive-charging road in North America just debuted in Detroit. Think of that wireless charging pad for your phone ... but for a car. In motion. The manufacturer of the emerging technology is an Israeli company called Electreon, which already has functioning EV-charging roads in Israel and a handful of European countries. According to Car and Driver, the goal is to keep batteries in EVs smaller while still extending their range.The road will be used to test and perfect Electreon's wireless-charging technology in a real-world environment before making it available to the public in the next few years. These new electrified roads will not only remove one of the biggest hassles of owning an EV (the need to stop and plug in regularly), but it could also be helpful in keeping electric buses, delivery vans, long-haul trucks and robotaxis operating around the clock.So how, exactly, does this technology work? The Associated Press reports that when a vehicle with a receiver nears the charging segments, the coils beneath the road transfer electricity through a magnetic field, replenishing the vehicle's battery. The coils only activate when a vehicle with a receiver passes over them. It works whether the vehicle is parked (static charging) or moving (dynamic charging). The roadway is safe for pedestrians, motorists and animals.
FYI:
Electreon is one of more than 60 startups that are a part of Detroit Newlab, an innovation hub anchored by the once-dilapidated Michigan Central train station currently under renovation by Ford.
McDonald’s Has a New Spinoff, CosMc’s
Look out Starbucks, the Burger BEHEMOTH is coming for you
By all accounts, McDonald's is doing just fine. The fast food behemoth's sales have been great, with price increases adding to its bottom line. But McDonald's is also... McDonald's, right? It's there and it's not exactly exciting anyone. Aside from a few collaborations with celebrities and the occasional introduction of a new sandwich or sauce, it mostly serves as the unchanging standard against which all other fast food is measured. But the company is launching a new concept, seemingly aimed at capturing a younger, and more mobile, market.Those keeping tabs on Mickey D's might remember that over the summer, CNN reported that the chain planned to roll out a new concept based on one of the brand's lesser known characters from the '80s. CosMc is a mischievous alien character that would visit McDonaldland from time to time and interact with the more famous mascots like Grimace and Ronald himself. Well, the first one is getting ready to open in McDonald's home state of Illinois.As for the menu, someone posted photos on X, which show CosMc's focusing on drinks, breakfast and other items more likely found on the McCafe menu. There are “galactic boost” beverages like a Berry Hibiscus Sour-Ade, and cold coffee drinks like a churro frappe and a turmeric spiced latte. There are also McMuffins, McFlurrys, and other Mc- stuff. And while a breakfast-focused, drive-thru- and delivery-centric spinoff could've just been called “McCafe,” the Hustle points out that the brand does well with nostalgia: adult Happy Meals with Cactus Plant Flea Market toys quickly sold out and everyone was stoked when the Boo Buckets returned for Halloween.
In Other News
They're going into 2024 divided on how to talk about the economy.
Red Lobster Vastly Underestimated How Much Shrimp People Could Eat—But It May Still Be a Marketing Win
Have you heard about ...
The Long Read
Dolly discusses her new album, in which she plants her feet among ambitious and experimental women in rock music
xxxQUOTExxx”
- By Emily Lordi
Read It:
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Shopping
What We’re Buying
A vintage-inspired watch
Tissot just made one of their archival watches even cooler. With the trend of smaller timepieces on the rise, they've shrunk their popular PRX Powermatic 80 ($695). You see, at 40mm (and an effective lug-to-lug around 51mm), the original was too big for some wrists. It's got the same integrated bracelet and classic '70s styling, just minimized in smaller proportions. It's got all the bells and whistles of a really expensive watch—there's a date window, along with SuperLumiNova on the hands and applied indices for easy reading in low light—but it will only set you back around 700 dollars.
Want more?
The five stylish items you should be buying this week.
Morning Motto
Stay grateful.
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